Chemical composition and biological activities of Gerbera anandria

Gerbera anandria (Compositae) was extracted with 75% ethanol and the residue was fractionated using light petroleum, chloroform and ethyl acetate. The constituents of the extracts were separated by column chromatography employing solvents of different polarity. Column chromatography of the light petroleum fraction resulted in the isolation of methyl hexadecanoate, while the chloroform fraction afforded xanthotoxin, 2-hydroxy-6-methylbenzoic acid, 7-hydroxy-1(3H)-isobenzofuranone, a mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol, and 8-methoxysmyrindiol and the ethyl acetate fraction gave gerberinside, apigenin-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and quercetin. A new coumarin, 8-methoxysmyrindiol, was found. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were established by MS and NMR (HSQC, HMBC). Free radical scavenging and cytotoxic activities of crude extracts and 8-methoxysmyrindiol were further investigated. The ethyl acetate phase exerted the strongest DPPH free radical scavenging activity in comparison to the other fractions. The coumarin 8-methoxysmyrindiol demonstrated cytotoxicity against multiple human cancer cell lines, with the highest potency in HepG2 cells.